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Catalyst: Business Growth, Strategic Management and Leadership DevelopmentFri, 31 Jul 2015 10:06:00 +0000en-UShourly1http://babettetenhaken.com/2015/07/31/customers-national-treasure/Your Customers’ National Treasurehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/104251636/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Your-Customers-National-Treasure/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/104251636/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Your-Customers-National-Treasure/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 10:06:00 +0000http://babettetenhaken.com/?p=9578Are you regarded as your customers’ national treasure? This question arose in a coaching conversation I had with the Chinese owner/practitioner of an acupuncture business. We were speaking about the enrichment she brings to her “perfect” customers. We were searching linguistically for a way to translate the concept of how she delivers value to her […]

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Are you regarded as your customers’ national treasure? This question arose in a coaching conversation I had with the Chinese owner/practitioner of an acupuncture business.

We were speaking about the enrichment she brings to her “perfect” customers. We were searching linguistically for a way to translate the concept of how she delivers value to her A-List customers, as I usually refer to them.

Then I reframed my question. I asked her whether her perfect customers regarded her holistic combination of philosophy, methodology and implementation as their national treasure. Her eyes lit up.

Then our conversation took shape.

National treasure refers to those creative and artistic works and, in some cases, individuals designated by specific countries as being invaluable representations, or representatives, of cultural heritage.

National treasures are priceless. They are invaluable. They are irreplaceable.

In Western business, we spend so much time talking about the creation and articulation of value propositions, which describe the tangible benefit a customer receives from doing business with you. The focus typically is on ROI.

However, you know as well as I do that our A-List customers continue to do business with us because of the intangible benefits we deliver to them time after time.

The creation of trust in building enduring relationships that sustain businesses does “something else.” The relationship eventually crosses the interface between focusing on tangible deliverables into the delivery of both tangible as well as intangible benefits. As a result, we create healthier teams working within healthier organizations.

That scenario is defined by more than your commission check. That scenario is created by more than a prescriptive training methodology. That scenario takes you beyond obtaining a certification.

That scenario is achieved through mastery, both professional and personal. That scenario is holistic. That scenario continuously leads you into uncharted waters as part of what is now your norm.

That scenario reflects your confidence in maintaining your personal and professional levels of balance and centeredness.

That scenario reflects your far-more than 10,000 hours of continuous self-improvement and commitment to your professional development and, quite honestly, your personal business philosophy.

Becoming your customers’ national treasure may be daunting to many of you reading this post. However, think about it this way: how consistently do you walk your value proposition talk?

By simply asking yourself this question daily, and for every customer you prospect for and engage with, you will become more thoughtful. You will become more introspective about how you create and deliver value to your customers.

For those of you struggling with how to define yourself as a Business Person of Worth, ask yourself what it would take to be regarded as your A-List customers’ national treasure.

You will find that this question creates an incredible starting point for some amazing and valuable team and customer dialogues that all of you will treasure.

Babette N. Ten Hakenis a management strategist and team-building leadership coach. She helps teams, startups and businesses who wrestle with unpredictable revenue streams. Her Workshops and Playbooks create more productive and profitable teams in healthier organizations. Her Playbook on leadership and business strategies, including tools, Do YOU Mean Business?is available on Amazon.com.

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/104251636/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Your-Customers-National-Treasure/feed/0http://babettetenhaken.com/2015/07/29/managing-messes-instead-of-a-team/Managing Messes instead of a Team?http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103876818/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Managing-Messes-instead-of-a-Team/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103876818/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Managing-Messes-instead-of-a-Team/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 10:06:02 +0000http://babettetenhaken.com/?p=9574You are managing messes instead of a sales team, an internal business team, a startup team, a project management team, the team that forms your small business. You are playing the blame game as you are managing messes. What are your excuses? You inherited this team from the last manager who was summarily fired for […]

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You are managing messes instead of a sales team, an internal business team, a startup team, a project management team, the team that forms your small business.

You are playing the blame game as you are managing messes. What are your excuses?

You inherited this team from the last manager who was summarily fired for under performance. (Translation: “The dog ate my homework. It is not my fault.”)

Your sales team is generating more orders than you have capacity to handle. (Translation: “We have no internal forecasting ability and didn’t believe we would be so successful.”)

Your production team is producing more defective parts than deliverable ones because the specifications you received were not accurate. (Translation: “We do not have in-house capability to accurately read, assess and correct specs.”)

Your team’s performance is inconsistant. (Translation: “We have no clarity of vision, purpose and direction.”)

You most likely can add to this list of the most common excuses I have heard. However, what do you notice about each of them?

Well done! They are focused on everyone else but you, the manager.

Management messes are the outcome of a manager who is unwilling or unable to assume accountability for their actions. It’s a can of worms, isn’t it?

Managing messes is the management output produced by teams that struggle with clarity of purpose and individual and team competency issues. There’s no strategy in this equation.

If you are managing messes, you constantly ask yourself how you got yourselves into this position in the first place. Determination of the historical context of the situation is an excellent place to start. However, the tendency is for you, as the manager, to blame history and context. You rationalize there is nothing you can do to manage your way out of the mess. After all, it is really some higher-up’s problem, anyway.

Pull yourself out of that blame game right now, please. The status quo stops with your decision to stop managing messes and start leading your team.

Begin by identifying all the assumptions you make. Stop assuming. Start clarifying.

Teams are comprised of a group of people hired at various times and given the same job title by HR, who assumes they all have the minimum viable level of competency to fulfill their job descriptions. Because you all work for the same company, you assume that team members are equally committed to your company vision and value proposition.

Just because they have the same job title doesn’t equate with the team’s being on the same page regarding how to throughput the hand-off of strategy for execution. Just because your company created vision and value proposition statements doesn’t mean that your team members share the same level of commitment to them.

Great teams include everyone in those conversations. See where you end up. You may just have begun managing – and leading – your way out of a mess.

Babette N. Ten Hakenis a management strategist and team-building leadership coach. She helps teams, startups and businesses who wrestle with unpredictable revenue streams. Her Workshops and Playbooks create more productive and profitable teams in healthier organizations. Her Playbook on leadership and business strategies, including tools, Do YOU Mean Business?is available on Amazon.com.

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103876818/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Managing-Messes-instead-of-a-Team/feed/0http://babettetenhaken.com/2015/07/27/is-your-business-competence-showing/Is Your Business Competence Showing?http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103541506/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Is-Your-Business-Competence-Showing/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103541506/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Is-Your-Business-Competence-Showing/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 10:06:15 +0000http://babettetenhaken.com/?p=9569Business competence refers to the collective set of capabilities, including knowledge, skills, dedication, mindset and commitment, which allow you to be effective in a job or situation. How secure and confident do you feel about your level of business competence and your ability to execute in all sorts of business scenarios? How secure and confident […]

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Business competence refers to the collective set of capabilities, including knowledge, skills, dedication, mindset and commitment, which allow you to be effective in a job or situation.

How secure and confident do you feel about your level of business competence and your ability to execute in all sorts of business scenarios?

How secure and confident do you feel about your leadership’s and management’s business competence?

There’s nothing wrong about coming to terms with areas of overlap and redundancy and defining gaps in capabilities and mindset in your organization. As long as you have made your employees feel secure and comfortable with being invited to participate in this conversation. As long as your business competency as a leader isn’t in doubt.

As long as you are prepared to listen.

Working together with various levels of management from shop floor to C-Suite can help your company become more committed to creating a better tomorrow for everyone. That is your healthy organizational goal: when everyone, clearly, is committed to having each other’s backs.

While there is a lot of “leadership” talk being talked these days, providing opportunities to continue your employee’s education once in the workplace, may be the first “thumbs up” they’ve received since leaving high school. Yes, I just said high school.

While companies may take a look at professional development based on pay grade, they marginalize or minimize the importance of some of the greatest assets of their organization: the people who work on the lines, on the loading dock and in an administrative or customer service function.

Some of these folks were told when they were in high school that they weren’t good students. They believed the teachers who doled out this pronouncement. Now they are living out what they believe is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When you acknowledge your employees by “buying in” to developing their business competence, they become more invested in your company. Sometimes it is a matter of a certification in quality or CNC-machining, which can be their springboard to a bigger educational goal. Sometimes it is a matter of letting them know that they are no longer invisible within your organization.

If this task seems daunting, perhaps it is time as a leader or manager for you to examine your own level of business competence as well. The knowledge and skills that got you to where you are today, well, may be insufficient to lead your company into tomorrow.

A bit of healthy leadership introspection goes a long way, especially when times are good and you have a positive revenue stream. Why wait until you discover your business is in crisis mode?

What is the first order of collective business competence that you will address next month?

Babette N. Ten Hakenis a management strategist and team-building leadership coach. She helps teams, startups and businesses who wrestle with unpredictable revenue streams. Her Workshops and Playbooks create more productive and profitable teams in healthier organizations. Her Playbook on leadership and business strategies, including tools, Do YOU Mean Business?is available on Amazon.com.

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103541506/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Is-Your-Business-Competence-Showing/feed/0http://babettetenhaken.com/2015/07/24/lets-open-another-can-of-worms/Let’s Open Another Can of Worms!http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103142818/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Let%e2%80%99s-Open-Another-Can-of-Worms/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103142818/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Let%e2%80%99s-Open-Another-Can-of-Worms/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 10:06:14 +0000http://babettetenhaken.com/?p=9562“Let’s open a can of worms!” my client exclaimed. “Be careful what you wish for,” I thought to myself. It is exciting to move forward with a new initiative for your business. You have observed lack of performance optimization (a polite way of saying dysfunction) for so long, you can taste it. As a member […]

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“Let’s open a can of worms!” my client exclaimed. “Be careful what you wish for,” I thought to myself.

It is exciting to move forward with a new initiative for your business. You have observed lack of performance optimization (a polite way of saying dysfunction) for so long, you can taste it. As a member of the C-Suite or General Management, you know something has to change.

Sometimes you are just not sure what.

Sales are flat or, alternatively, your regional sales team just blew another quarterly quota target. Perhaps you are doing business in a legacy manner. Alternatively, you sense you are poised for growth. Then again, your engineers are giving away billable time as ad hoc consultants for peers who call them with a “problem” (which is interpreted as an opportunity for business).

Regardless of the scenario, you are stuck where you are. Your people are stuck where they are. Your business is stuck, as well.

So you bring in another consultant to “fix” things. To give you a prescriptive process or methodology to follow. Another promise of success. This time will be different.

You have just re-opened a can of worms. In fact, you have opened the same status quo can of worms that has you stuck in the mud, spinning your wheels, moving nowhere.

Why? Why again?

From your perspective, that can of worms is something you are observing from afar. It is not your problem It is “their” problem. “They” need to be fixed.

The reason that can of worms got to be that can of worms is historical (I said historical, not hysterical).

You are in a position to dole out another dose of command-and-control management at your sales, engineering, business development, project management, you-name-it team. This time you hope you’ve got it right. If not, no worries. You will try again.

Aren’t you getting tired of wear-wash-rinse-repeat syndrome?

Gotta tell you. Those worms in those cans are getting real tired of being confined. They want to get out of there and do what worms do: make your business soil fertile for growth. They don’t even remember how they got in the can in the first place.

The can of cultural, process, mindset, habitual and contextual worms you are dealing with needs one more added factor to break the chain of status quo non-productive results. The can of worms needs your commitment.

Often, what is holding you and your people back from moving one millimeter outside of your collective comfort zones is collective accountability.

Often, this is not “their” problem. It is a collective problem within a collective perspective and assumption of collective responsibility. Collective leadership.

You see, those cans of worms want to be opened. They want to leave the stifling confines of those cans. They want to be liberated so they can create, innovate, learn, stimulate and expand. Lead some and follow some.

They want to be healthy worms. Happy worms. They don’t ever want to return to those cans again.

Does your can of worms look a little bit different now? Ready to open it? Together.

Babette N. Ten Hakenis a management strategist and team-building leadership coach. She helps teams, startups and businesses who wrestle with unpredictable revenue streams. Her Workshops and Playbooks create more productive and profitable teams in healthier organizations. Her Playbook on leadership and business strategies, including tools, Do YOU Mean Business?is available on Amazon.com.

Photo courtesy of babettetenhaken.com. One of the happy worms that sits on my desk and greets me each morning!

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103142818/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Let%e2%80%99s-Open-Another-Can-of-Worms/feed/0http://babettetenhaken.com/2015/07/22/collective-end-user-experience/Collective End User Experiencehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102695764/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Collective-End-User-Experience/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102695764/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Collective-End-User-Experience/#commentsWed, 22 Jul 2015 10:06:35 +0000http://babettetenhaken.com/?p=9553What is the collective end user experience of your service provider offering? In today’s application economy that is one key question that managed service providers (MSPs), telecommunications, and cloud service providers (CSPs) should ask themselves each day. Beyond closing the deal, your relevant value is measured daily by collective end user experience. If that collective […]

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What is the collective end user experience of your service provider offering? In today’s application economy that is one key question that managed service providers (MSPs), telecommunications, and cloud service providers (CSPs) should ask themselves each day.

Beyond closing the deal, your relevant value is measured daily by collective end user experience. If that collective end user experience is thumbs-up, you have the opportunity to create and maintain a loyal and retained base of customers. If not, you will be dealing with annual customer attrition at renewal time.

A post on the MSP Mentor site emphasized “the quality, innovation and value that get realized through applications will play an increasingly central role in the future trajectory of a business.”

That trajectory puts you firmly in the position of functioning as a transitional, translational and transformational application for the future trajectory of your and your customers’ businesses. Ever think that you, yourself, are an Application: the cross-functional glue that bridges organizational, cultural and mindset gaps?

Your relevance to your customers is a function of how well you communicate the business case for collective end user experience to both your company’s management as well as your customers’ C-Suite. That is the business case for quality, innovation and value realized through the applications that you provide to your customers.

In doing business with you, your customers make their own businesses more productive and profitable.

In today’s experience economy, you own the process for post-sale monitoring and measurement of collective end user experience. Even if you currently have customer service and service tech folks filling those roles, place yourself into this equation as well.

When you form your cross-functional, non-silo, post-sale monitoring and measurement team, your fingers are on the pulse of collective end user experience. You collaborate with folks sitting at various places around your organization’s business table. You understand how you create and maintain value, in real-time, versus relying on marketing communications information which is a one-size-fits-the-entire-organization initiative.

That team-centric scenario is innovative in most organizations.

Your post-sale team’s insights, and your business case for value, form a huge differentiator in the application economy. Continuously communicating these insights to end users and their decision makers allows them, in turn, to provide enhanced value to their own organizations.

The application economy is a brave new world.

Your and your customers’ organizations may still have traditional infrastructures, cultures and mindset. Those confines, however, do not need to confine your own ability to deliver relevant and valuable end user experience to the customers you serve.

You will increase the quality of your pre- and post-sale service delivery in the process.

One team I worked with decided to have a weekly virtual meetup to discuss collective end user experience. The first issue of business was building that team. To be honest, many members were reluctant. They were not used to working with one another. Their corporate culture didn’t support this type of professional cross-pollination.

One thing was certain: they were committed to understanding the collective end user experience in an innovative way. They wanted to be much more than a status quo assigned workgroup of individuals.

Yes, we opened that can of worms. We focused on habits resulting in a positive and productive mindset. The team discovered common themes in their perceptions of the end user experience. They looked forward to their weekly meetings and communicated in between meetings. The result? A higher rate of retention at renewal time, a higher rate of new customer acquisition and increased up-sell opportunities.

When you choose to utilize your own customer experience stories from real-life scenarios, you are on the way to providing innovative, high quality and enduring value to your customers. What is holding you back? Your future team awaits.

This post was brought to you by IBM for MSPs and opinions are my own. To read more on this topic, visit IBM’s PivotPoint. Dedicated to providing valuable insight from industry thought leaders, PivotPoint offers expertise to help you develop, differentiate and scale your business.

Babette N. Ten Hakenis a management strategist and team-building leadership coach. She helps teams, startups and businesses who wrestle with unpredictable revenue streams. Her Workshops and Playbooks create more productive and profitable teams in healthier organizations. Her Playbook on leadership and business strategies, including tools,Do YOU Mean Business?is available on Amazon.com.

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102695764/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Collective-End-User-Experience/feed/0http://babettetenhaken.com/2015/07/20/customer-experience-playbook/Vaca Customer Experience Playbookhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102159786/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Vaca-Customer-Experience-Playbook/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102159786/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Vaca-Customer-Experience-Playbook/#commentsMon, 20 Jul 2015 10:06:00 +0000http://babettetenhaken.com/?p=9542There’s a vacation customer experience playbook waiting for you to write this summer. Vacation time is an excellent opportunity for you to reflect on the nature and level of customer service delivery you receive. There’s something else I’d like you to do. Compare your vacation experiences with how you serve your customers throughout the year. Observe and reflect […]

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There’s a vacation customer experience playbook waiting for you to write this summer. Vacation time is an excellent opportunity for you to reflect on the nature and level of customer service delivery you receive.

There’s something else I’d like you to do.

Compare your vacation experiences with how you serve your customers throughout the year. Observe and reflect on how an excellent customer service experience is created, delivered and maintained consistently and seamlessly.

Customer service can make or break your entire vacation experience. It starts from the minute you decide to plan a vacation. It starts from the point of (usually) internet interface with that vacation rental property or destination. Accessible and responsive or a complete dud?

The goal of our customer experience playbook is to define who we want to do business with. We vacation at – and return to – the places where we experience customer service quality excellence. Our goal is to minimize and eliminate negative customer experiences from current and future vacations.

That’s the same thing your customers want to do when they choose to give you their business.

You realize that it is the little things that make up the “secret sauce” of your customer service playbook. They add up over the total duration of your vacation. They create enjoyment. People are just plain nice. No matter what their pay grade. People enjoy their jobs, it’s not just a salary to them. They are not just trying to win a contest.

Your customer service playbook takes note that these folks take pride in delivering an excellent experience. To you. And everyone else.

The folks delivering you an excellent vacation customer service experience understand that they are part of a bigger picture. They are the physical embodiment of a corporate vision of what the total branded experience is like – from the customer’s perspective.

Does your own company create, implement and sustain that type of vision?

Your vacation customer service playbook is the hand-off of corporate strategy for execution. You experience this handoff, seamlessly integrated into every one of your vacation days.

There is a subtle thoughtfulness that is delivered. These folks are part of your personal vacation team. They are proactive. They provide products, services and solutions ahead of time, with you in mind.

Now flash back to the customer service experience your own clients receive throughout the year. Are your customers an afterthought? Do you respond only if they complain?

Are you anything but proactive and anticipatory of the types of information, services, and just plain human being people stuff that makes their customer experience of you a valued experience?

In the downtime of your summer vacation, no matter what its length, pay attention to the vacation customer service experiences you receive. Observe. Take notes.

Add your insights into your customer experience playbook.

Make it a point to combine what you observe into your own customer service ethic once you return to work. Even if your own customer service delivery exceeds your own company’s status quo.

Customer service experience truly is a differentiator. It is most powerful when delivered as part of a solid corporate vision. In the absence of a solid vision, however, make superior customer service delivery your priority.

Customer service isn’t an “act.” There is nothing phony about it when delivered genuinely, with self-belief in your ability to make your customer’s world a lot better than it has been. Customer service is a habit and a mindset.

Something to ponder this week on the beach. Already have an idea of what the first 5 entries will be in your customer experience playbook?

Babette N. Ten Hakenis a management strategist and team-building leadership coach. She helps teams, startups and businesses who wrestle with unpredictable revenue streams. Her Workshops and Playbooks create more productive and profitable teams in healthier organizations. Her Playbook on leadership and business strategies, including tools, Do YOU Mean Business?is available on Amazon.com.

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102159786/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Vaca-Customer-Experience-Playbook/feed/0http://babettetenhaken.com/2015/07/17/got-a-business-outcome-recipe/Got a Business Outcome Recipe?http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101562544/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Got-a-Business-Outcome-Recipe/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101562544/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Got-a-Business-Outcome-Recipe/#commentsFri, 17 Jul 2015 10:06:59 +0000http://babettetenhaken.com/?p=9534A business outcome recipe is a combination of defining, designing and effectively implementing what needs to be done in order to achieve consistent, productive, profitable and sustainable business outcomes. Hmm. There’s something missing. Shall we have a chat? Many companies stop short once they have defined and designed their new training materials, their new employee […]

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A business outcome recipe is a combination of defining, designing and effectively implementing what needs to be done in order to achieve consistent, productive, profitable and sustainable business outcomes.

Hmm. There’s something missing. Shall we have a chat?

Many companies stop short once they have defined and designed their new training materials, their new employee handbook, their new business model and strategy on paper, etc.

After all, they’ve done sufficient work. Hard work, too.

There’s a mis-assumption: everyone should be able to read these beautiful new materials and clearly and consistently comprehend what is being communicated. Everyone should “get it.”

You have all the steps documented. You have all the processes in place. You have your business outcome recipe. Voila! The outcome is a piece of cake.

Successful implementation of the hand-off of strategy for execution is assumed. A piece of well-baked business recipe cake.

In spite of all of the discovering, defining and implementing, you really aren’t sure that your shiny new business outcome recipe will be achieved consistently.

You stopped short of where you need to be. You made a bunch of assumptions. There is no “wear-wash-rinse-repeat” involved. Your business outcome recipe isn’t fool-proof.

You left out an essential ingredient early on.

The people aspect of your business recipe is an after-thought.

These are the folks who are critical to implementing your business outcome recipe. These are the folks who execute those processes and practices to achieve desired business outcomes.

You sort of forgot to include their input and insight when you defined and designed your business outcome recipe. In fact, many of them are the last to know. Many of them are the folks on the production lines, in customer service and on the loading dock.

They feel marginalized. They feel put-upon. They feel victimized.

Even if you have created a well-conceived plan based on a well-conceived recipe.

The hand-off of strategy for execution is a critical failure area for many businesses.

Business outcomes are achieved because of consistent clarity of communication of strategy throughout the execution and implementation processes.

People are the first ingredient in your business outcome recipe. And not just the folks from certain departments or certain pay grades.

It’s no piece of cake.

That is why you’ve gone through so many consultants and training programs. That is why your rate of employee turnover is high and morale is low. That is why you have inconsistent outcomes every time you bake your business cake.

You stop short because implementing your business outcome recipe is risky. That hand-off takes theory into practice. Implementing those new processes requires developing new habits and mindset and jettisoning biases and baggage from “the way it was.”

There’s nothing cookbook about that, is there?

Business outcomes are achieved because of the quality of interrelationships between the people who implement strategy. These are real human interactions, not simply a matter of reading a To-Do list and following orders.

Take a good look at your current business outcome recipe, if you have one.

My advice: Take the risk to include the breadth and depth of the people ingredient as your first step. That decision makes all the difference in your business outcome.

Photo courtesy of Jacek Nowak on 123rf.com.

Babette N. Ten Haken, President of Sales Aerobics for Engineers®, LLC is a management strategist and team-building leadership coach. She helps companies, teams, startups and small businesses who wrestle with unpredictable revenue streams. She and her clients co-create Playbooks, resulting in more productive, profitable and healthy organizations. Her Playbook on leadership and business strategies, including tools, Do YOU Mean Business?is available on Amazon.com.

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101562544/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Got-a-Business-Outcome-Recipe/feed/0http://babettetenhaken.com/2015/07/15/client-obsession-syndrome/Client Obsession Syndromehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101162512/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Client-Obsession-Syndrome/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101162512/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Client-Obsession-Syndrome/#commentsWed, 15 Jul 2015 10:06:13 +0000http://babettetenhaken.com/?p=9528Client Obsession Syndrome is rampant in business, no matter what side of the table you sit on. Client obsession syndrome keeps you focused on current and prospective customers who present lucrative deals and long term relationships. Except no contracts have been signed. Just the promise of What Might Be. Client obsession syndrome keeps you chasing […]

You start imagining what it’s going to be like working with that customer. You daydream scenarios of you and the customer solving issues. You may even know what type of outfit you are wearing in each scenario.

You have an entire reality show going on inside your head.

That’s the problem. It’s not real. Not yet.

In the meantime, these not-really customers keep stringing you along. They ask for more support material. They ask questions that have you diving into resource content that not too many folks have access to. You are designing solutions and disseminating proprietary blueprints to people after an introductory meeting.

You feel you are letting these prospective clients experience what it is going to be like working with you.

After a while, it is a one-way street. Except you don’t notice.

You are too busy obsessing. You are giving away free consulting because you have that client obsession syndrome.

You have your head buried in the sand. Fantasy is being perceived as reality.

Stop it. You are better than that!

Client Obsession Syndrome happens when you have no limits set on how much emotional and physical energy, creativity and resources you expend per customer over time. In fact, you lose sight of time.

Client Obsession Syndrome prevents you from taking a look around and identifying opportunities in other business segments. Opportunities you hadn’t even considered before you took your head out of the sand.

Your single-minded obsession with potential clients who could truly be terrific for your business clouds your vision and self-perception. There are other people you should and could be networking with. There are meetings you should and could be attending. There are books you should be reading to further your professional development.

Make it a practice, each month, to review the folks who are the objects of your sales, engineering, manufacturing and startup obsessions.

You may have a far greater sense of urgency to work with them, than these customers have to work with you. For a whole bunch of potentially really valid reasons…. Or not.

Gain some professional perspective. Save yourself from angst and disappointment in the process. Do something for yourself: learn some new stuff. And slow down.

Otherwise your syndrome of client obsession has you putting a limited number of client eggs in your business development and sales basket.

You have far more opportunities out there than you have taken the time to identify.

Now that your head is out of the sand, enjoy pursuing those relationships concurrently.

You will be far more satisfied with yourself professionally and feel less compromised personally.

Babette N. Ten Haken, President of Sales Aerobics for Engineers®, LLC is a management strategist and team-building leadership coach. She helps companies, teams, startups and small businesses who wrestle with unpredictable revenue streams. She and her clients co-create Playbooks, resulting in more productive, profitable and healthy organizations. Her Playbook on leadership and business strategies, including tools, Do YOU Mean Business?is available on Amazon.com.

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100760342/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Client-Surprises-and-Business-Leadership/#commentsMon, 13 Jul 2015 10:06:26 +0000http://babettetenhaken.com/?p=9522Client surprises are thoughtful, well-planned bonuses that you bestow on current and prospective customers. These surprises are gifts given freely during the course of developing business. Client surprises include articles you read that immediately remind you of something you and your customer spoke about the last time you met. Client surprises are bonus coaching sessions, […]

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Client surprises are thoughtful, well-planned bonuses that you bestow on current and prospective customers. These surprises are gifts given freely during the course of developing business.

Client surprises include articles you read that immediately remind you of something you and your customer spoke about the last time you met.

Client surprises are bonus coaching sessions, free of charge, as a reward for hard work, well done. Client surprises are invitations to closed-door meetings, seminars, webinars that only you would know about.

Client surprises are provocative. They showcase that you have been doing your homework, thinking about your customers, learning about your industry, growing your own acumen.

You are leading by example. You are differentiating yourself as a lifelong learner. You are indicating what the quality of their customer experience might look like, should they decide to engage in doing business with you.

Client surprises establish the enduring business value of your leadership.

Client surprises invite your current and prospective customers into your own journey as a contemporary, high-caliber business professional.

You both will always be on the edge of the next mutual co-discovery that improves business outcomes. You will learn together as you develop a solid, collaborative working relationship.

Client surprises broaden the scope of your customers’ radar screens. These nuggets of knowledge and insight make them better than they were before they met you.

Client surprises are gentle nudges that move your customers one millimeter outside of their current comfort levels. They weren’t able to move themselves – until they met you.

Incorporating a strategy of client surprises into your business development strategy injects humanity into your sales process. It’s not another blast of marketing automation messages announcing free this or that, click here, sign up here, and end up on our leads list.

Incorporating a strategy of client surprises into your BD process means you have taken the time to think about specific clients’ needs. These customers have differentiated themselves to you, as well. They are like-minded. You both are worth each other’s time and thoughtfulness. It’s a two-way street.

A strategy of client surprises makes you take a long, hard look at all the names and emails in your CRM and decide which of these folks you would like to spend some quality time with. When you take that approach, you identify opportunities in what had before only seemed like numbers, unqualified leads, at the top of your sales funnel.

There are real live people behind those names and emails. Just like you are a real live person, too.

Client surprises force you to rethink who you, yourself, are as a Businessperson of Worth. When you humanize your strategy and stop running your business as a numbers shop, your true value begins to shine through.

What client surprises do you have in store for your like-minded customers?

Babette N. Ten Haken, President of Sales Aerobics for Engineers®, LLC is a management strategist and team-building leadership coach. She helps companies, teams, startups and small businesses who wrestle with unpredictable revenue streams. She and her clients co-create Playbooks, resulting in more productive, profitable and healthy organizations. Her Playbook on leadership and business strategies, including tools, Do YOU Mean Business?is available on Amazon.com.

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100248992/0/salesaerobicsforengineers~Order-Taker-Managers-can%e2%80%99t-Lead/#commentsFri, 10 Jul 2015 10:06:49 +0000http://babettetenhaken.com/?p=9515You are an order taker manager. Not by design. You had every good intention of putting your stamp on the future of the company that employs you. You are an extremely talented and well-educated order taker manager. You’ve been around the management business block a time or two. You know your stuff. You are champing […]

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You are an order taker manager. Not by design. You had every good intention of putting your stamp on the future of the company that employs you.

You are an extremely talented and well-educated order taker manager. You’ve been around the management business block a time or two. You know your stuff.

You are champing at the bit to lead your team out of the darkness of What Was and Is and into the light of What is Possible.

Corporate leadership has turned you into an order taker, like your predecessor. You are stifled by corporate silos and limited mindset.

You were extremely jazzed about taking on your position. However reality has set in.

The functional role you deliver on is the hand-off of leadership strategy for execution by the folks you manage. Your functional role is a manager, albeit a high-level manager. Regardless of your job title.

You could be playing a critical role in leading your organization towards greater operational efficiency and profitability. You could be creating new markets and greater respect for your company by forging unique industry relationships.

Yet you are regarded as a manager. Leadership second-guesses and micromanages you instead of confidently letting you manage yourself and others. Instead of allowing you fulfill your role.

That is not healthy.

You realize your wings have been clipped. But just when did that happen? How did you allow it?

Your ability to allocate resources on projects to catalyze your team are thwarted. You have been relegated to Keeper of the Status Quo: an order taker manager.

You have a vision for your team. You are concerned that taking that first step forward, moving one millimeter out of your comfort zone, will be perceived as making an end run.

You are torn. You are more concerned about preserving your job than opening that can of worms.

You perceive human capital shortfalls and attitudinal obstacles to driving change in your department. You are ready to lead by example. You are ready to employ who you need today to build your company’s tomorrow.

Yet taking that risk, and opening that next can of worms, is daunting.

Your company has no sense of urgency to change a recipe from Yesterday that still seems to be working Today.

Except that you have vision. You can see what Tomorrow will bring.

You are proactive by nature. You are not comfortable when things are comfortable. You are hardwired to be a planner and strategist.

Your company is engaged in busy work. You foresee that sales are slowly slipping backward. Now is the time for proactive management on your part.

What will your choice be? Order-taker manager or manager-leader?

Babette N. Ten Haken, President of Sales Aerobics for Engineers®, LLC is a management strategist and team-building leadership coach. She helps companies, teams, startups and small businesses who wrestle with unpredictable revenue streams. She and her clients co-create Playbooks, resulting in more productive, profitable and healthy organizations. Her Playbook on leadership and business strategies, including tools, Do YOU Mean Business?is available on Amazon.com.